RevNeal's LIVE Eurodam Report

[RevNeal]

Great photo Greg

I am sorry to hear that the children are still running amuck. I am curious are they children from the US or are they European children? Maybe they do not understand the English being spoken to them :D

 

The vast majority of the children I've met, talked with, and listened to as they "talked" (yelled at each other across the Lido) are Americans or Canadians. :( They understand english perfectly ... it's just that their parents have never taught them how to behave.

 

The parade of children-in-motion continued last night during dinner. The dining room was busy, it was a casual night, and the kids were coming in and going out, constantly, as if it were a bus station. Every few minutes one of the "little darlings" would go "skipping" and/or "walking" by at slightly less than running speed. We nearly saw a major accident when one of the dining room assistants passed our table carrying a tray stacked VERY high with covered plates (how they get so many on a tray I'll never figure out). Anyway, he went buy us just as one of the "little darlings" came skipping past on her way to the bathroom (for the 6th time that night). She bumped into him. He stopped, still, while she went around him and kept on going. He then, carefully, began moving again. Had he been one stop further on, or had she been running full-speed and not just skipping, we would have seen a major ker-splat. :( Thankfully (for the Steward's sake), it didn't happen.

 

The ship hasn't been experiencing motion, however trays of room service left in the hallways on Main Deck have been discovered spread all over the deck from the forward elevators to the midship elevators. Walking through without stepping on the debris is tough. Inquiring minds are wondering how these trays get scattered about so much ... however ... the "little darlings" have been seen (by me) carrying empty room service trays around after midnight.

 

The large planters in the forward elevator lobby on deck 3 have white painted rocks in them. Or ... they used to. Last night between midnight and 2 am those rocks got taken out of the planters and piled into one of the elevators. I know this because I was up at 2:30 am and on my way back to my cabin but had to wait for a different elevator because the ship's staff was busy cleaning up the mess. I'm told that the officers of the ship suspect that the rocks have evolved legs and have learned how to jump out of the planters, push elevators call buttons, and then jump into the elevators.

 

:)

I've gotta get ready for dinner. Tomorrow we have a sea day -- thank GOD! -- and I will bring everything up to date and provide a few more photos from St. Petersburg, etc. :) I DO have a report to post, as well as a long "More Thoughts about the Eurodam" to convey. The long and short of those Thoughts are really quiet good ... she's going to be a fabulous ship, once the kinks are ironed out, etc. And, for the most part, I'm quite happy with this cruise and with her ... she's quite a lovely ship and the crew is working extremely hard to make things work out well.

 

Adele ... on the other hand ... has reasons for being extremely upset. Her toilet exploded again. Somebody downline from her (about where severa lfo the families with the little darlings are located) flushed some balloons into the system resulting in a blockage that, for the second time this cruise, left sewage on her bathroom floor. Ugh! That happened today.

[wrp96]

I think I would be stopping children and taking down their names and reporting them to the front desk.

[RevNeal]

The Eastern European waiters we had in Canaletto were the best we had on the Eurodam, much better than in the main dinning room (IMO). We were actually able to get a bottle of wine before our main course arrived. The menu also changed every two days which I thought was a nice touch.

 

Our second dinner in the Canaletto was much better than the first. The service was better, less brusk and impersonal (i.e, less impolite), the food was spectacular in every respect. However, I would have a problem gauging it as better than the service I've been receiving in the main dining room. The dining room stewards on the July 5th sailing were trying hard, but we were confusing them constantly with our 3 tables of 8 people. They tried their best, I'm sure, but dinners always lagged VERY long (well past 9:30 pm every night, and often past 10 pm). Where we are for the July 15th cruise, however, has us a fabulous location with excellent waiters. They were good when we started, and have gotten better as time has gone on. We've been done with our entrees by 9 pm on more than one occasion ... that's how fast and efficient the service has been were we are now. TRUE .. we've had some breakage problems -- twice we've had glass shards cascaded upon our table from bottles/glasses crashing to the floor in accidents, the shards resulting in our plates and glasses being removed and replaced due to the broken glass danger. The breakages were not the staff's fault -- they were accidents -- and they cleaned up the mess quickly.

[RevNeal]

Do you know if anyone has a sample menu from Canaletto?

 

I will photograph it and post it on the board.

[sail7seas]

Hi Greg....

 

In the lovely photo, I see you, Scotty, Adele, and Emily but who are the other lady and gentleman?

Continue enjoying. :)

[Travalerie]

I will photograph it and post it on the board.

Thanks for posting the menu! And by the way, is Canaletto appropriate for kids (well behaved;) )? I know I have read that dinner at the specialty dining restaurants is not really recommended for kids because of the length of the dinner, etc. We will do Pinnacle and Tamarind for lunch, but we do not have that option for Canaletto. I thought it may be more relaxed since it is off of the Lido restaurant....your thoughts are appreciated.

[BalconyBumz]

In regards to the children on the ship that you are describing, I haven't even seen that sort of behavior on a Carnival ship. It's ultimately the parent's responsibility and the parents of these children should be reported and talked to, which is unbelievable that it would have to be done in the first place. I am all for well behaved children on ships, but from what you describe, this is completely ridiculous.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for checking in!!!!

[Copper10-8]

Hi Greg....

 

In the lovely photo, I see you, Scotty, Adele, and Emily but who are the other lady and gentleman?

Continue enjoying. :)

 

S7S, that would be Mary Ellen and her DH Karl. Nice folks, we met them the morning of the dedication in Rotterdam

[sail7seas]

Aha..... Thanks, John.

 

Welcome Back!

[Crusing Bob]

with kids like being descibed, I think you might find the parents could get ugly if confronted since their little monsters are so precious.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Seems the "little darlings" can't find enough to do:rolleyes: ? They're bored? Trouble is that back home they are more or less "entertained" 24/7.

 

I would have been stunned if Greg said the European children were the problem.

[BalconyBumz]

with kids like being descibed, I think you might find the parents could get ugly if confronted since their little monsters are so precious.

 

So what. The parents should be held responsible and thrown off the ship if their kids are dissrupting the ship and other passangers so bad. There should be some written rules about this. Cruise lines have thrown people off for less than this.

[Copper10-8]

So what. The parents should be held responsible and thrown off the ship if their kids are dissrupting the ship and other passangers so bad. There should be some written rules about this. Cruise lines have thrown people off for less than this.

 

If some of these juvies would have been caught in the act of stacking decorative rocks in elevators you can rest assured that security would have gotten their nice parents involved. It's usually a meeting with the H/M and a warning first and, in case of reoccuring problems like that, the whole family will find themselves standing on the pier waving bye bye to the ship.

I'ev got a feeling that with what the Rev is describing onboard Eurodam, the ship's security is being more vigilant (i.e. increasing the number of rounds in corridors, elevators, etc. late at night).

 

As far as the running in the DR, you'd hope that the DR manager would put a swift stop to that, again by contacting the nice parents.

[shipcafe]

Oh my ... I'm SO tired I could barely keep my eyes open for my shore excursion in Helsinki this afternoon. Ugh! But ... it's been wonderful! :D

 

I have a LONG report partly written about St. Petersburg and the condition of the ship. I plan on posting tomorrow (I hope). If not, I will post it during our stop in Germany (where I'm doing NOTHING ... for a change).

 

We departed Helsinki about an hour ago and are heading for Stockholm. It promises to be a nice night. There's a captains reception for 100+ day passengers tonight, followed by a Casual Night dinner.

 

The children are still running. Last night, at dinner, a pack of four came running through the Main Dining Room. Adele, Emily, and Ruth all stated (sternly) and in Unison (unplanned!): "Stop running!" They did, but stared at them as they passed by our table and then out. The returned less than a minute later, entering the dining room on the opposite side and going all the way around to get their table without having to pass by our's. As they went, they stared at our table. Adele waved at them as the went. Although I wasn't there, I was told that today the same pack of kids were running around the Lido deck, and one of them kept sticking his tongue out at Adele.

 

Several nights ago, after midnight, the same pack of kids were playing "elevator races" with the outside midship elevators. And, reports are that there has been a lot of crying and yelling going on in the Main Deck hallways. One family was having trouble with their children throwing a temper tantrum in the hall, so they just closed the door on her, leaving her lying on the floor in the middle of the corridor, screaming her head off.

 

In short ... it's not gotten any better.

 

I've got to get up and shower and get ready for the captain's reception. So, I'll leave you with one photo taken yesterday in St. Petersburg.

 

 

That's a great photo! Thanks for sharing.:)

[shipcafe]

At Sea in the Baltic,

 

A few more words about the change in the passenger base and the overall feel and character of this cruise as opposed to the prior one. Firstly, in my opinion it's both not quite as bad as I had feared yesterday, as well as it being worse than I feared. Yes ... it's both. The kids are not as rowdy or loud, but they are swarming in large numbers. There are about 250 children and youth aboard, and when they get together in groups and roam the corridors they can and do cause severe traffic jams, etc. And, as reported yesterday, they have a tendency to want to run through the corridors, in the shops, in the Lido restaurant, and (tonight) in the Main Dining Room. Today, while negotiating my way through the Lido, being careful to not jostle any of the less-physically capable seniors, I was literally clobbered -- run into -- by a sprinting 14 year old boy who came tearing in from the pool deck while looking back over his shoulder at his brother, who was chasing him. I'm a stout and stable guy ... I didn't go over. Indeed, it was the kid who bounced back and hit the wall to my right (his left). But, had I been Ruth or Karl or someone else with mobility issues, or brittle bones, etc., it would have not been pretty. I'm surprised we haven't had any incidents of broken bones on the part of seniors; and, if the kids don't stop this soon it could even be THEY who are injured. I watched one pre-teen come skipping through the Main Dining room tonight, just BARELY missing tripping on the leg of someone's walker. Had her foot caught on the walker she would have been sprawled flat on her face ... I'm sure to an accompaniment of whaling sobs and tears. Meanwhile, I'm sure a parent would be mad and yelling at the poor senior who just so happened to be in the way of the "little darling."

 

Anyway ... tonight's formal night was good, then we went to the crows nest for drinks and conversation. Sakedad (Nathan) showed up and we all had a nice little impromptu party. :) The sun wet about 11 pm, and it was beautiful, but it didn't get dark until after 1 am.

 

That's wild how much the demographics have changed from the 05 July sailing. There weren't too many children on board at all for that ten days.

[mikjr]

The children are still running. Last night, at dinner, a pack of four came running through the Main Dining Room. Adele, Emily, and Ruth all stated (sternly) and in Unison (unplanned!): "Stop running!" They did, but stared at them as they passed by our table and then out. The returned less than a minute later, entering the dining room on the opposite side and going all the way around to get their table without having to pass by our's.

 

Several nights ago, after midnight, the same pack of kids were playing "elevator races" with the outside midship elevators. And, reports are that there has been a lot of crying and yelling going on in the Main Deck hallways. One family was having trouble with their children throwing a temper tantrum in the hall, so they just closed the door on her, leaving her lying on the floor in the middle of the corridor, screaming her head off.

 

I have to ask... WHERE is the crew or ship's staff during all this? Do they do nothing? I would think they would step in and take control of this issue instead of having the passengers do it for them. I can't believe the dining room staff would say nothing! talk about inept!

[CruiserGreg]

If some of these juvies would have been caught in the act of stacking decorative rocks in elevators you can rest assured that security would have gotten their nice parents involved. It's usually a meeting with the H/M and a warning first and, in case of reoccuring problems like that, the whole family will find themselves standing on the pier waving bye bye to the ship.

I'ev got a feeling that with what the Rev is describing onboard Eurodam, the ship's security is being more vigilant (i.e. increasing the number of rounds in corridors, elevators, etc. late at night).

 

As far as the running in the DR, you'd hope that the DR manager would put a swift stop to that, again by contacting the nice parents.

 

I would hope that security has video of all the antics and is very close to giving the parents an ultimatum.....control your children or your cruise ends at the next port. I'm just thankful the July 5th sailing didn't have this problem. There were very few children onboard, and those I saw were very well behaved.

[kryos]

In regards to the children on the ship that you are describing, I haven't even seen that sort of behavior on a Carnival ship. It's ultimately the parent's responsibility and the parents of these children should be reported and talked to, which is unbelievable that it would have to be done in the first place. I am all for well behaved children on ships, but from what you describe, this is completely ridiculous.

I too can't believe the staff and crew hasn't had a "word" with these parents. We're not talking just misbehaving children here ... I can understand HAL may not want to get too involved in those issues. What these kids are doing with their running through the Lido, dining rooms, etc. is downright dangerous ... not just to the other passengers, but to themselves as well. What happens if they run into a waiter carrying a tray laden with hot food?

 

Man, I wouldn't be happy onboard that cruise, that's for sure. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I have to ask... WHERE is the crew or ship's staff during all this? Do they do nothing? I would think they would step in and take control of this issue instead of having the passengers do it for them. I can't believe the dining room staff would say nothing! talk about inept!

I wouldn't say the dining room staff is inept. It may be that their hands are tied. When you have a "word" with a parent about their children, feelings can get ruffled, tempers can flare. Nobody likes to hear that their children are anything less than absolute little angles. "My Johnny isn't doing anything wrong! He's just being a normal rambunctious six year old!" I don't think the average staff or crew member would be allowed to get involved. This has to be handled from the top ... the Guest Relations Manager, Chief Purser, Hotel Manager, whoever. Sadly, that is not happening and for what reason I cannot fathom. What are they waiting for? Someone (maybe even one of the children) to get hurt?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

If some of these juvies would have been caught in the act of stacking decorative rocks in elevators you can rest assured that security would have gotten their nice parents involved. It's usually a meeting with the H/M and a warning first and, in case of reoccuring problems like that, the whole family will find themselves standing on the pier waving bye bye to the ship.

And that actually happened on an RCI ship, I believe last year I read about it. Several families got put off the ship at the next port when their lovely teenage angels thought it would be neat to break into one of the bars in the wee hours of the morning and have an "all you can drink" bash. They were caught on video cameras and apprehended by ship's Security. There were several families standing on the pier, surrounded by their luggage the next morning.

 

Man, I wouldn't have wanted to be one of those teenagers ... not with the parents I had growing up. My father was the "old fashioned" type of parent ... strict Eyetalian father. Very loving, don't get me wrong. But man, had I gotten my whole family thrown off a cruise ship, having my parents incur the expenses of flying home, man ... I would have been in for a whole world of hurt. My pop would have kicked my you know what ... in a heartbeat! I don't think I would have seen the light of day for months ... it would have been school, home and to my room. :( Life would definitely have not been good.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[babyher]

Hi Greg .

 

 

Sorry that you have been having so much trouble with these little monsters .

 

Actually I was just wondering. Is there anyway to steer some of these running kids in the direction of that step that was the cause of so many people falling.

 

I mean hitting that thing at warp speed, a little CRASH..BANG... BOOM and the little darlings and their parents are EVACed out of your hair for the rest of the cruise. :) :) :)

 

Next time one of them whizzes by you, you just point to where that step is and say "Hey Look there goes SpongeBob Squarepants "

 

Just a suggestion *LOL*

 

 

Hope you are enjoying your cruise in spite of them :)

[1cruiselvr]

If HAL doesn't feel comfortable addressing attire problems in the dining room, I don't think they are willing to 'take on' parents with unruly children. As commented earlier, they are usually the parents that think their kids can do no wrong which is the root of the problem. Personally, I would like to see cruiselines do more about misbehaving children. You know it's just a matter of time before one of them gets hurt or even falls overboard! Happy Sailing!

[CDRMark]

And that actually happened on an RCI ship, I believe last year I read about it. Several families got put off the ship at the next port when their lovely teenage angels thought it would be neat to break into one of the bars in the wee hours of the morning and have an "all you can drink" bash. They were caught on video cameras and apprehended by ship's Security. There were several families standing on the pier, surrounded by their luggage the next morning.

 

Man, I wouldn't have wanted to be one of those teenagers ... not with the parents I had growing up. My father was the "old fashioned" type of parent ... strict Eyetalian father. Very loving, don't get me wrong. But man, had I gotten my whole family thrown off a cruise ship, having my parents incur the expenses of flying home, man ... I would have been in for a whole world of hurt. My pop would have kicked my you know what ... in a heartbeat! I don't think I would have seen the light of day for months ... it would have been school, home and to my room. :( Life would definitely have not been good.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

I would bet good money these parents were mad at the cruise line (and perhaps the OTHER parents kids) and not their own kids.

Cheers

Mark

[Copper10-8]

I would bet good money these parents were mad at the cruise line (and perhaps the OTHER parents kids) and not their own kids.

Cheers

Mark

 

Can you say "My kids did nothing wrong - Legal Action to follow?"